Historically disadvantaged institutions continue to lag previously white institutions in research and development (R&D) despite government interventions to level the playing field.
This has was revealed by the National Survey of Research and Experimental Development (R&D Survey) for 2019/2020.
The annual survey provides key statistics and serves as a barometer to monitor the research investment and human resource profile of the country and to inform science, technology, and innovation which in turn informs policy implementation by the government.
The survey is conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council’s Centre for Science, Technology, and Innovation Indicators.
It forms part of the National Statistics System.
In the higher education sector overview, the survey shows that for the 2019/20, the universities of Zululand, Limpopo and Fort Hare spent less resources on research and development.
The institutions accounted for R182-million, R289-million and R172-million research spending, respectively.
The survey also showed that these institutions had fewer academics with National Research Foundation ratings.
In comparison, the University of Cape Town led the pack in research and development spending, forking out R2-billion, followed by the University of Stellenbosch at R1.9-billion. The University of Pretoria was third with R1.4-billion.
Professor Chika Sehoole, the dean of the faculty of education at the University of Pretoria, said the report should not come as a shock. “There is nothing new
coming out of the report. Instead, the questions that we should be asking ourselves is why we have not been able to turn the corner,” Sehoole said.
“Previously disadvantaged institutions did not have the resources to attract and retain world-class researchers. So, academics leave for better offers elsewhere. But there is also a problem of poor leadership both in the executive and senior management level such as faculty deans,” he said.
Sehoole added that the challenges faced by the so-called poor universities could not be disassociated from the problems the country faced, some of which were unravelled by the recent Zondo report on state capture.
“The resources that government ploughs in these institutions are often not used properly. There is also the legacy of apartheid which cannot be undone in one night. All black universities were not created to be knowledge producers, but only to provide civil servants who would run the Bantustan system.
“Critical disciplines such as actuarial science and other skills were not offered in black universities.
“We have not redressed this legacy, therefore we have not increased research and development capacity,” he said.
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